of drought which people don't -- people underestimate droughts. drought probably cost morethansandywillin the long run because of the public sector. fewer games, and sandy is like, was a hurricane and then just whatever you want to call after that, that's a big debate. but we're talking about manhattan, want you to think about this. people are talking at sea level rise in inches, maybe a foot over decades. sandy produced storm surge of three to four meters, or over 12 feet, in one of the most densely populated areas in the united states. and everybody says, i didn't think this could happen. i'm like, well, i've got pictures in the '30s when they were flooding the subways back then. it just doesn't happen very frequently. we had -- all of their imaging equipment in the basement. it makes sense when you don't deal with storms every year, it's much easier to shield, it's isolated, and it's a great space putting that type of equipment. now if you're getting hurricanes every five or six years you wouldn't have built there. if you hadn't had a storm since the series of any magnitude, ma

change, and unimaginable human tragedieslikesandyhookelementary. but we also bear witness to rapid breakthroughs in technology, medicine, and the fundamental understanding of our universe. every day i am left in awe at how much we are able to achieve, and heartbroken over the tragedies that we have had to endure. we truly live in extraordinary times. we also live in an extraordinary state, filled with extraordinary people. where the world sees uncertainty, we washingtonians see opportunity. and we all feel a profound responsibility to our children and our grandchildren. we have a spirit of innovation here in washington that has changed the world, from aerospace to software to e-commerce. and you know what? we are not done. [applause] a new world economy is emerging from the depths of this recession, and while its contours and relationships are not fully understood to us, we do know two things. first, with our uniquely powerful fusion of values and talents, washington state has the potential to lead the next wave of world-changing innovations. second, the world will not wait for us.

colleagues,sandygrimes,another virginian, who worked with her on the ames task force stepped up to care for jean as she was battling cancer. sandy grimes, a career c.i.a. employee ultimately served as jean's primary caregiver. she sat with her each day during the final three months of her remarkable life. shimon toward jean's care and tried -- she monitored jean's care. she often brought personal messages of support and appreciation from the former c.i.a. colleagues. quote from ms. grimes, "i felt an obligation to be there with her. i can't imagine not doing it. i was the one jean would accept. i owed it to her as a friend." by all accounts, jean vertifay was an intensely private woman and she doubtless would recoil at the attention she is now receiving, but one cannot help but be inspired by this true-life story of service and patriotism and friendship demonstrated by these two great employees: sandy grimes and the late jean vertifay. their services reflect well on the work of thousands of other intelligence professionals whose names can never be revealed. both of them deserve our reco